How to Make Your Business Events More Sustainable and Eco-Conscious
Research by MeetGreen explains that an average in-person event attended by 1,000 people contributes as much as 530 metric tons of CO2 emissions that account for single-use plastics, food consumption, travel, and energy consumed by the venue.
From incorporation into big corporate meetings to small and personal business network events, incorporating sustainability into business events can help minimize the event’s impact on the environment, improve brand image, and enhance the reception of sustainability among attending clients.
In this article, you will learn how to make your business events more sustainable regarding venue, food and beverage, waste, and energy consumption.
The Importance of Sustainable Business Events
Sustainable business events are not just trends; they’re a step towards embracing our social responsibility towards the environment.
Traditional occasions involve a lot of resources, consume a lot of power, and emit greenhouse gases, which affect the earth in one way or another. Research reveals that the events industry contributes about 10% of global carbon dioxide emissions.
In addition to the environmental benefits, business organizations should opt to host green events because this will improve their image. Being environmentally conscious is another way to improve a business’s standing and appeal to potential partners because of the enhanced attendance of individuals concerned about the environment.
Practical Strategies for Hosting Eco-Friendly Business Events
Organizing sustainable business events with proper planning and adjustments in how things are done is possible. The following tips are a complete checklist of guidelines for eco-conscious events.
1. Choose an Eco-Friendly Venue
The choice of venue is one of the key areas that should also be considered while dealing with sustainability issues during any event. If such a venue is required for that event, use LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) or any other environmentally friendly facility. Most environmentally conscious facilities adopt efficient energy-using equipment, methods of using water minimally, and methods of recycling.
2. Sustainable Catering Choices
Catering services, one of the areas where event spending is highest, are typically the most significant source of event waste. It is clear that the above effects can be reduced by carefully selecting caterers who prepare their foods appropriately.
Purchasing food locally also decreases the carbon emissions ordinarily used to transport food products while helping the local economy. Organic and seasonal food are also less likely to be grown under pesticides, making them environmentally friendly.
You can also promote the idea of recycling disposable or eco-friendly dinnerware and cutlery to caterers. For instance, instead of providing bottled water, water stations help save on the use of plastic bottles.
3. Implement Waste Reduction Tactics
Mitigating waste is critical when planning green events, and sustainable waste management practices can play a significant role in achieving this goal. After a few hours, most of the items used at functions, such as brochures, plastic name labels, and even disposable decorations, go to the dustbin.
Therefore, digital check-in procedures should replace paper ones. Apps and QR codes could also be used to provide schedules, such as speakers and details of sessions, thus reducing paper usage.
Business gifts or promotional items, also known as “swag,” are always a tradition at business events. However, they are usually items that people throw away after the event. So, ensure you choose reusable bags, aluminum water bottles, or any product made from recycled materials.
4. Sustainable Transportation Solutions
Transportation is often heavily influenced by an event’s carbon footprint. By offering green transportation options, attendees can minimize their impact.
You can encourage carpooling or support the utilization of public means of transport. Alternatively, one may organize group transfers from nearby hotels to save the proportions of single-car use. You could also do a hybrid meeting if your attendees are situated in different cities or parts of the world so people who could not travel could attend remotely.
5. Energy-Efficient Technologies
Another change that makes events more sustainable is selecting energy-efficient technologies. These can range from lighting to conferencing and other audio-visual equipment.
LED lighting consumes far less energy and is more efficient than current conventional incandescent lights. In addition, you might consider hiring an audio-visual company that will supply energy-efficient projectors and sound systems.
Conclusion
It is possible, and becoming more imperative, to design sustainable and environmentally friendly business events. To do that, you should select environmentally friendly locations, use ecologically friendly catering services, reduce and recycle fruits and vegetables, help guests use public transport, and use environmentally friendly technologies.
Lastly, these changes are more effective for the earth and your business since they improve a positive image and set specific and remarkable experiences for the attendees. Therefore, while planning for your forthcoming business events, ensure that you employ the following sustainable measures and make a firm, environmentally friendly policy. Say yes to sustainability, and your attendees and the earth will compliment you for it.